Tracking

Reading signs depends on appreciating the small points, the details that appear to those schooled in observation but disappear to the novice, the incautious, or the hasty.

Jon J. Nordby, PhD

International homicide investigator

Over the years tracking has been shown to be a very effective technique in locating lost persons. Tracking (sign cutting) is the step by step following of a person. It takes training, determination and hundreds of hours of practice to become a skilled tracker.

Campbell RIver Search and Rescue is currently developing their tracking team, with a number of our members attending regular training courses to develop their skills.

By analysing the footprints and other sign left behind, trained trackers can determine a direction of travel and even follow the track of an individual across varied terrain.

British Columbia Tracking Association

Tracking instruction for Campbell River SAR is provided by the British Columbia Tracking Association. The BCTA is a non-profit society run by SAR volunteers across the province with the express goal of teaching tracking to Ground Search and Rescue volunteers across BC.

This past weekend members from Campbell River SAR joined Search and Rescue volunteers from a dozen other SAR groups throughout Vancouver Island at a tracking course hosted in Port Alberni. This course focused on the fundamentals of tracking, with an emphasis on...

Several of our members recently had an opportunity to attend a tracking course hosted in the neighbouring Comox Valley. While the weather wasn't always cooperative, it was an excellent opportunity to train in some valuable skills. During the course, our members...

Tracking team members from Campbell River Search & Rescue recently joined members from nearly a dozen other Search and Rescue teams in a weekend long training course. For our members it was a chance to hone their sign-cutting skills, and practice teamwork in a...

Following up on a great course two weeks earlier in Sechelt, our tracking team members were down in Port Alberni last weekend for another great course. Hosted by Alberni Valley SAR, this course gave members from Campbell River an opportunity to practice their basic...

Members from Campbell River SAR recently joined with SAR members from a dozen other groups throughout the province for a course on tracking. Tracking is the art of finding, identifying and following sign, and by interpreting sign, being able to deduce accurate...